1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for processing coated food products and, in particular, to an apparatus which provides for the formation of food clusters with a controllable size and population.
2. Description of Related Art
Caramel popcorn has traditionally been manufactured by first popping raw corn in a dry roasting machine. Either a caramel coating or a butter toffee mass is then prepared in a suitable vessel by mixing sugar, corn syrup, butter, and other additives. Numerous variations of the mass are currently used in the art, but all usually contain sugar and corn syrup as the basic ingredients. This mass is constantly stirred while it is being heated until the prescribed melting temperature has been reached. Once the melting point of the coating is reached, the previously popped corn is then coated with the caramel mass, usually in a helix type continuous mixer.
Other types of food products have also been coated in a similar manner. In order to increase the appeal of such coated products, food product manufacturers have attempted to make caramel popcorn and other food products in clusters rather than single coated pieces. Peanuts have also been mixed with popcorn and joined together to form small clusters.
There is not currently a method in the prior art which may be used to provide a consistent size and uniformity of such clusters within the finished product. Rather, prior art methods typically produce an undesirable variation in the size of the clusters. This is due to the shortcomings of the current drum style cluster machine that is used to manufacture clustered food products. As a result, there is a significant amount of waste of the food product when using current methods of forming clusters because clusters of undesirable size are typically discarded. Consequently, there is a need for a method and apparatus for forming food clusters which allows greater control over the size of the food clusters and provides more consistency in the variation of the sizes of clusters produced.
The present invention provides uniformity in the formation of food clusters by using a fingerwheel to break a layer of the food product into clusters of a uniform size. After the food product, such as popcorn, and the coating that is placed on the product is mixed together, a bed of the mixture is formed. The bed is then forced through stationary fingers or slots by the fingerwheel at an optimum temperature for forming clusters, thus breaking the bed into individual clusters. The average size of the clusters is determined by the spacing between the fingers on the fingerwheel and the stationary fingers when they are meshed together. Once the clusters are broken up, the clusters are sent to a sifter/cooler conveyor where the clusters arc cooled and sifted before being combined together to package.
The present invention provides much more control over the average size of the clusters produced than the prior art methods. The invention also reduces unnecessary waste because fewer oversize clusters are produced due to the greater control provided by the method of the invention.
The above as well as additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following written detailed description.